Portable bowling-alley.



E. EK.

PORTABLE BOWLING ALLEY.

mwucmou ms!) 1ULY 5.1911.

1,28 3,707. Patented Nov. 5, 1918.

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E. EK.

PORTABLE BOWLING ALLEY. APPLICATION FILED JULY 5, 1911.

1,283,707. Patented Nov. 5,1918.

2. SHEETS-SHEET 2.

To all whom it may concern:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BK, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, ASSIGNOR TO SPRING VALLEY WOOD PRODUCTS CORPORATION, OF SPRING VALLEY, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PORTABLE BOWLING-ALLEY.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 5, 1917. Serial No. 178,563.

Be it known that I, 'EMIL EK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful provements in Portable. Bowling- Alleys, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a game board constructed to be used as a miniature or port able ten pin bowling alley.

The invention has'for its object, the construction of a relatively small portable bowling alley in which the game of ten pins may be played on a small scale with about the samedegree of accuracy as in the regular ame.

y invention may best be understood by a concrete example which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

It is to be understood that while the drawing shows a board embodying my invention, I do not wish to'limit myself to the exact construction herein shown.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation with one of the side flanges partially cut away. Fig. 2 is an end elevation.

Fig. 3 is a section of the line 11 Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 2-2 Fig. 7.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 3-3 Fig. '1 when the board is folded.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 44 Fig.

Fig. 8 is a plan .view and Fig. 9 is a section on 5-5 of Fig. 7.

Similar figures of reference indicate similar parts. I

The alley is made of an elongated board 1 having a slightly raised panel 2 to form the alley proper. At each side of the panel 2 the board is grooved out to form returning channels for the balls to run back. Along the two edges of the board are flanges 3 jraised somewhat above the level of the panel. The pins15 are set up onone end of the panel 2 in the usual way and beyond isa depressed portion 4 into which the pins fall as they are knocked down by the bowling ball.

" The balls, which are preferably steel balls of 5 inch diameter, are bowled or projected on the surface of the board by a swinging arm which is allowed to drop or swing forward, being suddenly checked by a stop which acts to project the ball forward. The arm is pivoted to the cross bar of a frame and is movable laterally on the cross bar and the frame is at the same time capable of being warped to change the aim.

As here shown, I pivot at the end of the board a frame made up of two uprights 6 and 7, these uprights being pivoted to ears 8 secured to the board.

The frame is completed by a cross bar 9 which is pivoted in the upper ends of the uprights and a cross bar 10 which is below the center of the bar and serves as a stop to suddenly arrest the motion of the swinging arm.

The swinging arm is made up of two strips 11 secured face to face, the arms being expanded, at the top to form a loop of considerable width. The cross bar 9 passes loosely through openings in the strips 11 so that'the arm may slide easily from side to side. The two strips in practice are united at the top making a single strip doubled or folded on itself. 7 7

At the lower end of the arm the two side strips are brought very nearly together and formed into a ball-receiving recess adapted to receive and hold the ball 12 with a slight lateral friction, the material of the strips 11 being somewhat resilient.

The ball is projected forward out of its recess by the blow of the arm as it swings forward against the cross bar 10. The velocitv of the ball is accelerated by an ejecting lever, 16 the lower end of which impinges against the ball when the latter is in position in its receptacle. The lever is pivoted above the ball and between the strips 11 at 13 and when the ball is in position the upper edge of the lever extends forward of the strips 11 so that it strikes against the cross bar 10 when the arm. is swung forward. The sudden contact of the lever with the bar 10 helps eject the ball from its recess and increases its velocity.

A pin 14 in the strips 11 passes through a slot 15 in the lever and so limits its motion in both directions.

The frame is designed to be folded down on to the board when the latter is put away as indicated by dotted lines 1n Flg. 1. For "-110 this purpose, I pivot a pair of slotted braces 17 and 18 a short distance in front of the side bars and connect them with the side bars with bolts 19 and 20, which pass through the slots.

The bolts are secured by spring pressed heads 21 to create friction between the frame and the braces and to secure the frames in an upright position. For this purpose I form in the upper end of each brace an enlargement in the slot into which the head 21 snaps when the side bars are in their upright position as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. r

The side bars are then firmly held in an upright position by the spring pressed head 21 while allowing the brace to slide along the bar as the bar is folded down. The inner end of the head 21 is slightly rounded allowing it to enter the enlargement and to come out therefrom under a slight pressure. Means are provided to warp the frame out of its normal plane and thereby vary the plane in which the arm swings.

As here shown the attachment of one of the braces 17 is not made directly to the side bar of the frame but to the lower end of an adjusting lever 38 which is pivoted to the frame in a normally upright position. The lever is pivoted at 22 at a point between its ends and its upper end is bent outward to form a handle '23 ly which the lever is moved forward or backward on its pivot 22 to warp the frame. A slot and pin connection 2% made between the lever and the side bar to limit the motion of the lever about its pivoted point.

At the opposite end of the board from the swinging arm is a slightly yielding back board whereby the balls are stopped without bounding off from the alley.

This back board is pivoted to the upper ends of a pair of side bars "26, the lower ends of which are pivoted to brackets 27.

A pin '29 in the side bar 26 enters a slot 28 in the board and limits the swinging motion of the board and. a spring 30 keeps the back board swung normally forward. The result is that any blow on the forward face of the board is taken by the spring 30 and the blow of the ball is met by a yielding surface which stops the velocity of the ball so gradually that it will rebound but slightly. A. strip of felt or other soft material 31 is secured to the lower portion of the back board to aid in preventing the ball. from reboui'iding.

The board 25 is adapted to fold down onto the surface of the alley when the apparatus is not in use and means are applied to guard the sides of the board to prevent the pins being knocked oif from the alley.

As here shown, I pivot on each of the bars 26 a relatively long flat guard strip 32 which extends lengthwise of the board on each. side and forms side guards to hold in the pins. Each guard 32 is so held in place by its pivotal connection with the bar 26 and the link 33 that when the back board is turned down the strip will lie close to the alley and just inside the side flange 3. The parts will all thus snugly fold inside the flanges and be out of the way.

A recess 34 is formed in the outer surface of the bar 26 and when the parts are folded together it snaps over the head 35 of the pivoting pin 36 which pivots the link 33 to its base, (see Fig. 5). A similar construction not herein shown in each case holds all the folding bars at each end of the board and in their folded position. The folded parts are thus held firmly in place and will not become unfolded when the board is handled to be stowed away. A stop 37 is formed on the strip 32 whiclt prevents the back board 25 from being turned backward beyond a vertical position.

In using the board the pins are set at the end of the alley in the usual way as indicated in Fig. 8.

The steel ball is then inserted in its recess the spring of the strips 11 holding it lightly in place.

When in this position the lower end of the lever 16 rests against the rear of the ball and the upper end projects forward of the bars 11. The arm is drawn back and allowed to fall, the upper end of the lever 16 striking against the cross bar 10 and ejecting the ball with considerable force.

By moving the arm from side to side on the bar 9 the ball may be sent in different lines parallel with the center. If it is de sirahle to send the ball diagonally, the frame is warped by moving the handle 23 backward or forward as the judgment of the player dictates. The board is not always perfectly level and the projecting apparatus does not always send the ball in just the same line when the starting position is the same so that the result is not sufficiently accurate to be a foregone conclusion.

I claim:

1. In a portable bowling alloy the combination of an elongated board, an upright frame at one end of said board, a bar extending across the upper portion of said frame, a swinging arm suspended from said bar and laterally slidable thereon, said. arm having at its lower end a ball-receiving socket adapted to hold the ball in frictional engagement. an expelling lever pivoted to the arm for expelling the ball from said recess and a stop for contacting with said lever to check the motion of said arm and to project the ball along the surface of the board. I

2. In a portable bowling alley the combination of an elongated board, an upright frame at on end of said board, a bar extend ing across the upper portion of said frame, a swinging arm suspended from said bar and laterally slidable thereon, said arm being composed of two opposing strips bent at their lower ends to form a ball-receiving socket, an expelling lever pivoted between the strips and a stop for contacting with said lever to check the movement of the arm and project the ball along the surface of the board.

3. In a portable bowling alley the combination of an elongated board, an upright frame at one end of said board, a bar extending across the upper portion of said frame, a swinging arm suspended from said bar and laterally slidable thereon, said arm being composed of two opposing strips bent at their lower ends to form a ball receiving socket, an expelling lever pivoted between the strips and above the ball and having its lower end normally in rear of the ball and an arm-checking bar extending across the frame in position to strike the upper end of the lever when the arm is swung downwardly.

4. In a portable bowling alley the combination of an elongated board, an upright frame pivoted at one end of said board, a cross bar at the upper portion of said frame, a swinging arm for projecting the ball suspended from said bar and movable laterally thereon, the lower end of said bar having a ball-retaining recess, a slotted brace pivoted forward of each side of said frame for holding the frame in an upright position, a pin connecting each side of the frame to one of the braces through the slot whereby the frame may be folded down.

5. In a portable bowling alley, the combination of an elongated board, an upright frame pivoted at one end of said board one of the side bars of said frame having an adjusting lever pivoted thereto, a cross bar at the upper portion of said frame, a swin 'ng arm for projecting the ball suspended om said bar and movable laterally thereon, the lower end of said bar having a ball retaining recess, a slotted brace pivoted forward of each side of said frame, a pin passing through each of the slots connecting said frame with the braces to fold the same, the brace on one side connecting with theend of the adjusting lever whereby the frame is warped out of its normal plane to vary the plane in which said arm swings.

6. In a portable bowling alley, the combination of an elongated board, an upright frame at one end of said board, a swinging arm carried by said frame for carrying and projecting said ball, and means for warping said frame to vary the plane in which said arm swings.

7 In a portable bowling alley the combination of an elongated board, means for proj ecting a ball along the surface of the board at one end, a back board at the opposite end, a pair of uprights to which said board is pivoted at its upper portion, a stop for allowing a slight rearward motion to said board and a spring or weight for swinging said board forward.

8. In a portable bowling alley the combi nation of an elongated board, means for proj ecting a ball along the surface of the board, at one end and a back board at the opposite end, a pair of uprights to which said board is pivoted at its upper portion, a slot and pin connection between said board and one of the uprights for limiting the swinging motion of said board and a spring or weight for-normally pressing said board forward.

9. In a portablebowling alley the combination of an elongated board, upright side bars at one end pivoted to the board, an

bars and extending downward and forward to the board and a'normally upright link connecting the board with each of the strips forward of the back board and so positioned as to lie close to the board when said back board is folded down onto the alley.

10. In a portable bowling alley the combination of an elongated board, means at one end for projecting a ball along the board, a back board at the opposite end pivoted to said elongated board and adapted to fold thereon, .and a pair of relatively wide flat guard strips secured by one end to the ends of said back board and adapted to fold there with and extending forward along the sides of said board to hold the pins and balls on the board.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature.

EMIL EK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatents. Washington, D. G. 

